


Twisted Kingdom

by Remsyk



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Alien Technology, Dubious medical explanations, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by The Black Jewels Trilogy, M/M, Minor Angst, SHEITH - Freeform, VLD Fanfiction Remix 2017, mindscape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-07 23:50:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12243009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remsyk/pseuds/Remsyk
Summary: After the Trails, Keith unlocks a side of himself he never wanted. Despite the reassurances from his fellow paladins and friends, their initial reactions weigh heavily on his mind, until it becomes too much to handle. His mind descends into itself, a realm known as the Twisted Kingdom, and only one person can bring him back.Written for the VLD Fanfiction Remix 2017 event! Based off the work by InterdictedInk, "Beautiful Lie".





	Twisted Kingdom

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Beautiful Lie](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7756426) by [HedonistInk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedonistInk/pseuds/HedonistInk). 



> I want to thank the mods for putting this together, and doing their best to herd the cats that make up this fandom to keep us on time. I'm a day late anyway, haha, but here it is. And I want to thank InterdictedInk for making it difficult to choose just one story to remix; they're all so good! I hope I did your work justice.
> 
> This concept was inspired by "The Black Jewels Trilogy", which defines the Twisted Kingdom just as it is written here. It is where one's mind descends when it has shattered. It is extremely difficult to climb back out of the Kingdom, and those who have escaped are left more vulnerable to descending again. 
> 
> I highly recommend reading the books; they are all fantastic reads.

Shiro stalked into the medical bay, his mind racing almost as quickly as his heart, worst case scenario’s crawling and piling up in his mind, each one clawing at his brain.

_Shiro, you need to get to med bay, now! Something’s wrong with Keith!_

His eyes quickly narrowed in on Keith, sitting still and silent on the edge of one of the beds. Alarms rang in his head as he stepped closer, growing louder as he cataloged everything wrong with the paladin.

Keith was too still, too silent, his eyes blank. He failed to react to the cacophony around him, never even glanced at him as he walked up to the bed, ignoring the others in favor of checking on Keith.

“What happened to him? What's wrong?” Shiro growled, his tight control cracking under the weight of the unknown.

“He's gone,” Coran said, his expression grim.

“What do you mean, gone?” Lance demanded, planting his hands on his hips. “He's sitting right here.”

“But his mind, his thoughts, his self, have fled to the deepest part of his psyche,” Coran explained patiently, his tone carefully even. “We had a phrase in Altea to describe this very thing. We called it ‘Falling into the Twisted Kingdom’.”

“So he'll be like this forever?” Hunk asked, his eyes darting nervously between Keith's vacant expression to Coran, occasionally sparing a glance at Shiro.

“No,” Allura spoke gently but firmly, her eyes fixed on Keith.” There was a method we used on Altea to reach the fallen and help them rebuild their minds, but it required the help on someone close to the patient, someone they knew and trusted.”

“Why do I get the feeling there's a but?” Pidge crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her fists clenched against the shaking.

“It will take some time,” Allura cautioned, turning her piercing gaze on the gathered paladins. “The fallen are already hurting. They retreat for various reasons, but at its core, it is because something in their lives became too much to handle. If we send the wrong person, it could make the situation worse, driving them further into their own mind.”

The room fell silent as they all watched Keith. He sat slouched on the medical bed, his eyes staring blankly ahead, his face vacant. He didn't acknowledge their presence, or even the intense attention of the collected group. His ears hadn't even twitched during their conversation. He was there, but not.

It was unnerving. It was wrong.

“I'll do it.”

Allura's eyes snapped to Shiro, assessing his sincerity before answering.

“Are you certain?” She intoned.” This will not be a simple rescue mission. You will be diving into his mind. You will see everything that makes him who he is; it's extremely personal. Can you handle that?”

“I think I can safely say I'm the closest to Keith,” Shiro paused, swallowing thickly, his eyes fixed on Keith's face. “I've known him for a while. He would do the same for me.”

The Alteans shared a look before Coran stepped forward, his serious expression drawing everyone's attention.

“Right. Let's get you two hooked up.”

Activity filled the room as everyone moved to help, even if they weren't sure what needed to be done.

Under Allura's instructions, Lance and Hunk maneuvered Keith onto the designated medical bed, holding him steady as Coran connected various probes to Keith's head. Once finished, they lowered him to lie fully on the bed. Coran then positioned what looked like a miniature dish receiver over his head, pointed at his face.

Keith didn't even blink.

“This is so weird,” Lance mumbled to himself, rubbing his arms. The entire experience, how empty Keith appeared, left him shaken and unbalanced. He couldn't imagine the horror of waking to find an alien face starting back in the mirror. It was one thing to hear the words, half Galra. It was another thing entirely to face the reality.

“I feel ya,” Hunk murmured back, clasping a reassuring hand on Lance's shoulder. They were all reeling from the rush of events, one after another. Now they had a moment to breathe, but at what cost? What if he came back changed, unable to fly Red? What if he forgot his friends, turned completely Galra, and left? What if he never came back at all?

Hunk shivered and shoved the thought away. If anyone could save Keith, it was Shiro. He just had to have faith. But Hunk was also a realist, and major mental trauma never left without leaving behind scars. He glanced to where Shiro lay, wires hanging around his head. Of all of them, the black Paladin would understand that fact.

No matter the outcome, Keith will never be the same.

The pair watched Coran finish the same preparations on Shiro.

Pidge bounced nervously on the balls of her feet, torn between staying by Shiro's side and investigating the machines. They were going to send someone's consciousness into another person's mind. It would be fascinating if it wasn't happening to two people she now considered family.

“Hey.”

Pidge jumped at Shiro's soft hail. He smiled at her when she turned to him.

“Everything will be okay,” he reassured her. Tension eased from her slowly as guild crept in behind, filling the void.

“I should be saying that to you,” she forced out, hoping she sounded nonchalant. “You're the one diving into his head. Who knows what you're going to find.”

“Hopefully a reason for that awful mullet,” Lance chimed in, picking up on Pidge's forced attempt to lighten the mood.

“Or why he can't follow a simple cheer,” Hunk grinned at the memory.

Shiro chuckled, appreciating their attempts to east some of the tension, smoothing over their fear of the unknown.

“Ask him yourself when he gets back,” he replied.

Allura cleared her throat discretely, but the sound cut through them like a knife, immediately drawing them to attention.

“Shiro, I should start by saying I have no idea what you will encounter when we begin.”

She raised her hand swiftly as the remaining paladins began to sputter their protests.

“That being said, I can tell you what other Alteans have experienced. I want to make it clear that I don't know how this will respond with Humans.”

Shiro nodded solemnly, his entire focus on the mission at hand. Receive the initial mission briefing, double check all preparations, then commence. He couldn't allow himself more than that, or he would drown in his worries and fears.

“The Twisted Kingdom has been described as a barren wasteland covered in jagged rocks, covered in a dense fog, and is always in a constant state of twilight. It will be treacherous, and depending on the extent of his fall, the descent could be immense. There are variations on this theme, some possessing additional features, but the basis remains the same.”

Allura inhaled deeply, then met his gaze head on. “There are two constants that all of them agree on, regardless of circumstance. The first is that the fallen will always be at the bottom of the path. For some reason psychologists could never unravel, this truth has been constant.”

“The second, and most important, is to never, ever, stray from the path.”

Shiro frowned at the warning. “Why is that so important?”

Allura shook her head. “I can't say for sure, but everyone who woke from this said the same thing, that they somehow knew that if they left the path, they would never get back.”

Shiro nodded. “Understood. I'll do the best I can.”

“Are you ready?” Coran asked. He held a matching receiver his to the side, ready to move into position.

“Yes.”

“Good luck,” Allura smiled reassuringly, then stepped back, allowing space for Coran to move the final piece into place.

“Just relax,” Coran began. “Pretend you're falling asleep. Let your mind drift.” He spoke in a soft cadence, drawing out Shiro's subconscious. Shiro forced himself to relax, systematically relaxing his tense muscles, starting with his shoulders and working his way to his toes.

Shiro closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as Coran’s words washed over him. His body felt heavy; he couldn’t move his arms if he wanted to. A warm sensation built against his back, crawling along his skin as though he was sinking into a bath filled with gel, then he was falling, but he couldn’t find the strength to care.

Shiro opened his eyes, watching a point of light shrink to a pinprick above him, fading into a deep black before shifting to a strange grey. As Shiro gathered the effort to roll his head to the side, his back met solid ground, depositing him in a bleak and barren landscape.

He sat up slowly, taking in the unchanging scenery, when his eyes fell on a familiar shock of dark hair.

“Keith!”

Keith turned quickly, his eyes wide as he gaped at Shiro. He twisted around in the pale dirt until he sat facing Shiro, his arms crossed defensively over his chest.

“Shiro? How did you- What are you doing here?”

“Keith! Are you alright?” Shiro got up, closing the distance quickly. He reached for him, but Keith flinched back. Shiro dropped his arms quickly, squelching the prick of hurt. He didn’t know the kind of mindset Keith was in.

“How did you get here?” Keith demanded, watching Shiro with wary apprehension, like he may disappear at any moment.

“Coran and Allura have a device that allows someone to enter another person’s mind,” Shiro explained. “Don’t ask me the details of how it works, though.”

Keith eyed him suspiciously. “You willingly used a machine you know nothing about to climb into my head?” When Shiro nodded, Keith practically growled, surprising him. “Who thought I wanted anyone in here?”

“It was the only way to get you back,” Shiro answered, confused by his anger. “We only want to help you.”

Keith looked away, his scowl less pronounced, though the anger remained. He stared instead at an opening in the rocks, a path Shiro hadn’t noticed in his earlier scan.

Shiro’s eyes followed the line of stairs, leading up and out of the rock clearing through a hillside covered with jagged rocks, turning into a path winding around them.

“That’s how I get out,” Keith said, answering Shiro’s unasked question.

“How do you know?” Shiro turned back to him.

Keith merely shrugged, unsure of how he knew, but certain in his statement.

Shiro glanced between the path and Keith, then rose, his hand outstretched. “Well, let’s get moving then.”

Keith blinked at the offered hand. “What?”

“We can’t stay here forever,” Shiro clarified. “The others are waiting for you to get back. We’ll never make it if we stay here.”

Keith hesitated, remembering why he descended in the first place. “I can’t go back, not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m half Galra! I even look like it now,” Keith wrapped his arms tighter around himself. “I’m a freak.”

“You are not a freak. Everyone is worried about you,” Shiro said softly, lowering his hand. “Half Galra or not, they still miss you. We still need you.”

“Right, so you can form Voltron,” Keith answered bitterly. “I’m just a means to an end.”

Shiro shook his head. “Who is going to help me calm Hunk down when he starts crying about something? Who is going to have Pidge’s back when she finally finds Matt? Who’s going to keep Lance engaged and motivated to improve? They need you for that.”

“You do those things just fine,” Keith argued. “You don’t need me.”

“They need both of us. There are things you can do that I could never replicate, and vice versa,” Shiro watched Keith carefully for any signs he was getting through to the stubborn youth. When he didn’t react, Shiro suppressed a sigh, then turned to the ominous stairway.

“It will be good to have you back,” Shiro said over his shoulder, falling back on their original, familiar truth.

“I’m not ready to come back,” Keith replied, his gaze distant.

Shiro bit the inside of his cheek, forcing his expression to remain placid against the sick jolt in his gut. “That’s alright. I’ll wait for you.”

Keith wasn’t quite ready to believe him.

* * *

 

Shiro found Keith sitting on the same stone outcropping as before, staring out across the swirling, grey landscape.

“Hey, how ya feeling?” He asked softly as he tried not to startle the fragile youth.

Keith didn’t acknowledge him at first, even when Shiro lowered himself to sit next to him.

“I don’t know what to do,” Keith spoke, a tentative voice from a statue.

“Do about what?” Shiro probed.

Keith shifted slightly, causing something in his lap to glimmer. It was then Shiro noticed the two pieces of glass Keith held, one in each hand. The left curved, every edge jagged, while the other curved piece had one long, smooth edge. The lip of the chalice.

“They don’t fit,” Keith didn’t move, yet he seemed to shrink into himself, despair weighing him down.

“There will be more pieces,” Shiro slowly closed a hand of Keith’s, rubbing his thumb over the smooth edge of the glass. “We’ll put it back together. You don’t have to do it alone.”

Keith blinked and looked at him, his face a swirl of emotions. Skepticism and despair were plain, and Shiro felt his heart clench in how little Keith believed in himself and his ability to escape. But as Shiro searched his face, he saw the faintest glimmer of hope. A weak spark, but a spark nonetheless.

He rose, extending his hand to the despondent soul.

“Come on, we have more pieces to find and a long way to go.”

Keith stared at the offered hand, then stood, reaching for the lifeline.

The glass pieces faded as Keith released them, and Shiro had a moment of panic, fearing the pieces were lost again.

Keith noticed his reaction and squeezed his hand, a slight grin pulling the corner of his mouth.

“They are a part of me now,” he explained, stepping around Shiro to pull him up the path. “I can bring them back whenever I want.”

Shiro let out a breath and followed Keith up the path. This was progress; this was Keith fighting his way out of his mind.

He was going to be okay.

* * *

 

Keith picked up the glinting piece, cradling it in his hands, as though it may shatter in his grip. He stared into the glass, his eyes distant as he watched the memory encased within.

“Do you remember when we first met?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shiro stood frozen, reluctant to break the spell that had fallen.

“Yes,” he answered, matching Keith’s tone, his voice a bit breathless.

Keith smiled then, as fragile as the glass he held, and brought the memory to his chest. It disappeared with a flash, joining the other gathered pieces. He remained still, savoring the feeling of another piece falling into place, then inhaled deeply and turned to Shiro.

“Let’s go.”

Shiro nodded, still reeling from the weight of Keith’s emotions. He could feel them all, swirling around him, pulling him towards the vortex that was Keith. He couldn’t pull away if he wanted to; he never wanted to try.

Keith continued up the path, and Shiro quickly moved to follow, his mind only half on the treacherous path.

One of Keith’s important memories, the basis of how he built himself, was the day they had met. His heart fluttered in his chest as he recalled the emotions Keith had unleashed. There was a deep fondness, a twinge with nostalgia, a happiness he rarely displayed to others, and the stirrings of something more, a longing that echoed his own.

He saw and felt his own emotions from that day reflected in Keith, and he barely contained the swell of hope that bubbled just below the surface.

The pair walked in silence, time passing without milestones to mark its progress. Only when Shiro began to feel the telltale prickle between his shoulder blades did he speak.

“We’ll need to find a stopping point soon.”

He saw Keith nod and begin scanning the hazy horizon.

“I’ll keep an eye out for one.”

After a few more minutes of walking, Keith led them into under an overhang. He settled down on a small bolder, looking up at Shiro with a weary smile.

“Same time tomorrow?” Keith asked, his tone light, but Shiro could still hear the thread of fear that lingered on the edges, the thought of being left here, alone.

Shiro returned the smile. “Same time. I promise.”

Keith relaxed, the slightest shift of his shoulders, but it was all Shiro needed to know. With one final look, Shiro turned and left.

* * *

 

The cycle continued for days, with Keith regaining pieces of himself along the way. Each piece brought a little bit more of Keith out, revealed another side of him. Some, Shiro knew intimately; others were new, laying bare fears and wants and dreams he never knew Keith had.

But no matter how what they found or how Keith felt, he returned every day, a steadfast figure in the turmoil of Keith’s mind.

The chalice was almost complete. It was only missing its base, the final piece, then Keith would be free, and hopefully, ready to return and face everyone again.

They had found the piece the day before, but Keith hadn’t been ready to add it to his shards. Shiro had withdrawn, allowing the healing young man the solitude he needed to prepare.

Shiro returned expecting to find Keith in the same location, but the path was empty save for the last piece of the chalice. It lay in the road, its dull surface belying the painful memories held inside.

Keith was nowhere in sight.

Shiro shoved down the instinctive panic, refusing to allow his thoughts to spiral beyond what was right in front of him. He couldn’t think that maybe Keith had left the path to avoid the shard, or had tried to destroy the offending piece and hurt himself, or even worse, descended to the center again, refusing to escape the confines of his own mind…

With a firm shake and a growl, Shiro cleared the bleak thoughts from his head.

First step, find Keith.

He stepped around the shard and followed the path down, keeping an eye out for any signs of Keith, both on and off the path.

He ducked around a large, protruding rock, remembering the stone from a couple days ago, and found Keith, sitting with his back to him. His shoulders were hunched, his head bowed as he fiddled with something in his lap.

Shiro breathed a silent sigh of relief, the tension draining out as he drank in the sight. He took a step, deliberately scuffing his feet. Keith jerked and twisted in his seat, his eyes wide over his shoulder.

“Shiro…”

Shiro forced himself to stroll to Keith’s perch, plopping down beside him with an easy smile.

“Couldn’t find a place to sit up there?” He asked lightly.

Keith looked away, turning his attention back to the object in his hands.

Shiro’s heart jumped when he saw the chalice, whole save for the tiny chips and hairline cracks crisscrossing the surface. Whole except for the base, the foundation upon which it stood.

“I can’t leave without it,” Keith said bitterly. “I know I can’t.”

Shiro remained silent, sensing the young man’s need to vent.

“It’s almost funny,” Keith chuckled, an ugly and bitter sound. “The very thing my mind is built on is the one thing I never knew about myself.”

His grip tightened on the cup, the strain threatening to shift the fragile pieces. “And what did it get me?” He snorted in disgust. “I’m a freak, half-breed. I’m a monster.”

“Stop.”

Keith looked up sharply, his eyes wide.

“You are none of those things,” Shiro said firmly. “You are Keith, a paladin of Voltron, one of the bravest and driven people I know.” His suddenly smiled fondly, reaching up to gently cup Keith’s face. “You’re my best friend, and most the most important person in my life.”

Keith shook his head slightly against Shiro’s palm, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Shiro ran his thumb across his cheek, ensuring Keith didn’t look away.

“Your Galra heritage does not define you. You know who you are. I know who you are.”

Keith shut his eyes, rebellious tears streaking down his face as he pressed his cheek against the gentle hand.

“How do you handle being told you’re an alien?” He asked brokenly. “How do you reconcile that with everything you know?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro answered honestly, gently pulling on his connection when Keith inhaled sharply. “I don’t have any easy answers. I only know how to handle one day at a time.”

Keith willingly folded against Shiro’s chest, wrapping his arms around his waist as Shiro secured him in his arms.

“I don’t want to be Galra,” Keith croaked into his shirt.

Shiro held him as cried, his shoulders shaking silently against the warmth of his arms. He pressed his cheek to Keith’s head, rocking back and forth as Keith vented his fears, frustrations, everything he had held back for so long.

Once his sobs faded, Shiro pulled back to look down into Keith’s eyes. “I’ll be there when you wake up,” he promised, holding Keith’s watery gaze. “I promise.”

Keith inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he savored Shiro’s words, cementing them in his mind, a truth he couldn’t dispute. He nodded and pulled away, afraid yet determined.

Shiro loved him even more for it.

He stood as well, and the pair walked in silence to the last piece, lying silently in the center of the path.

Keith stared at it another moment, then stepped forward quickly, snatching the base from the ground before he could change his mind. The rest of his chalice appeared, forming atop the base Keith held, completing the cup.

His mind was whole again.

Or rather, as whole as it could be.

Shiro came up behind him, clapping a hand on Keith’s shoulder, a familiar and easy gesture. “I’m proud of you.”

Keith stared at the imperfect chalice, the light catching and breaking across the spider silk cracks and miniature chasms. “I’m not who I was anymore.”

“Neither am I,” Shiro answered, smiling at Keith’s grimace.

Before them, the path vanished into a dense fog, the last line of defense, the barrier between Keith’s mind and reality.

“I’ll be there when you wake up,” Shiro promised again, squeezing Keith’s shoulder. When Keith nodded, he stepped forward, pausing just before the fogbank to smile over his shoulder.

“It will be good to have you back,” Shiro said.

Keith returned the smile. “It will be good to be back.”

Shiro’s smile widened, easily the brightest star against the lifeless grey landscape, then turned and disappeared into the fog.

Keith clutched the repaired chalice, pressing it against his chest until it disappeared, returning to its place as keeper of his mind. He finally felt whole, if not a little fragile, as though the pieces didn’t quite line up, cracked and chipped. Battered, but no longer broken. He was already beginning to feel the effects of the loss of Shiro, however temporary.

He was the glue that held his fragile pieces in place, the mortar that kept his mind repaired and sealed, his presence spilling into the cracks, his promises filling the chasms, his steadfast love replacing the chips.

No matter what happened next, he needed Shiro to hold him together, both his mind and heart.

He took a step, then another, until his strides took him to the very edge of his mind, the outside world pressing against the corporeal barrier.

Keith squared his shoulders, clenching his fists as he inhaled, facing his fears before exhaling, dispelling any lingering doubts.

Shiro promised he would be there, now and always.

As he took his final step, this time, Keith believed him.


End file.
